music

it’s finally here! the end of the longest month the world has ever known… seriously, is it just me or has this month dragged out? ordinarily you blink and it’s half way through the month, this month you blinked and you’d gone back in time. sweet baby yoda.

anywhooo, how are we all? surviving? i’m plodding along as per.

i’ve been trying to decide whether to carry on sharing my random thoughts on this site, primarily because i generally feel like i’m talking to myself most of the time and whilst that is fine, i can just talk to myself out loud rather than writing it down – i do this frequently anyway so i would just be saving myself some time. as some of you know, last year i gave myself a goal to post once a week, which i did (go me), but writing wasn’t so much fun when i knew i had to publish it – i write mainly for myself, and most of my writing is for no ones eyes but my own. and to be fair, it probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone else – it barely makes sense to me. it has been really nice this month just writing for me again.

the conclusion to my uncertainty was this – yes, i do still want to write about my crap on here but not so frequently, i think once a month will suffice. in all honesty i don’t really have time to post more – my friend amy said to me this weekend “you are literally the hardest person in the world to pin down to see. you have to book in with you 6 months in advance, you tell us you have a day free, then we go away to see if we’re free and come back to you for you to say, sorry! made plans now with xyz person” – i didn’t actually realise this but its pretty accurate. soz mate. i’m actually thinking about starting a deposit scheme – pay me £50 to secure your requested date and you’ll get it back when i see you.

and then i got to thinking how my posts might look, so rather than me rambling on (like i have done thus far in this post) i’m just gonna give my month recap for those that care in a ‘…of the month’ format. i don’t know if any of that explanation really made sense but continue reading and hopefully it will…

hero of the month

celebrity: halsey

did you see her speech at the women’s march? i cannot tell you how many times i have watched it but i can tell you that every time i do watch it, i cry. it is so, so powerful.

i cannot tell you how many debates i have gotten into with people over the ‘times up’ / #metoo movement and the fact that only now a lot of women are coming forward “why has it taken them so long?” “they’re being too sensitive” “it was all just a joke back in my day”. in my view, people who say things like this are part of the problem. and in response i say because it’s scary to come forward when the men that are doing it hold power over you, physically and otherwise. these women are really brave for coming forward and publicly about something this sensitive. i say, it is not your place to tell them they are being too sensitive – we all have personal boundaries and we don’t like them being abused. i say, well if you were happy with bob from accounts slapping your ass, or grabbing you by the pussy at work and found it funny, great for you. i say, that yes, we need to teach girls to protect themselves because unfortunately that is the world we live in but what do we need to teach more than that? well, we need to teach people not to fucking rape – and i say people because i am well aware that females can be rapists too. this is not just a one-sided issue (although stats of reported rapes suggest that women are 7x more likely to be raped than a man is).

personal: my sister, melissa

she’ll probably roll her eyes at this but she definitely needs a shout out. after the longest time she has finally stood the fuck up for herself and is making some changes that are long overdue. she is a worrier and so i can only imagine her anxiety at these changes that are coming up for her BUT i think she is a fuckin superstar for putting herself first and for knowing that she deserves so much more than she’s currently getting. you go, sister!

book of the month

leah remini: troublemaker

i am obsessed with her and scientology. i find it so fascinating. she’s got gumption! i read her book super quickly, maybe it took me a week max. one of my goals this year is to learn about other people – i am aiming to read a new biography/autobiography each month and leah’s started me off. i’m now reading hillary clinton’s ‘what happened’.

soundtrack to the month

‘now that’s what i call country’

i am completely unashamed about my love for all things ‘country’. this month i have mainly been listening to this album.

the greatest showman: soundtrack

this one has slipped in at the last-minute because i refused to listen to the soundtrack until i saw the movie. i imagine this will be featured on all my posts until the end of the year.

bad joke of the month

(bad jokes are like crack to me, send me all of yours)

why did the banana go out with the prune? because he couldn’t find a date!

also, one i heard today,

“what’s the most common owl in britain?”

“the teat owl… as in the teatowel”

i laughed for a good 5 minutes.

food of the month

well, it’s not really ‘food’ but its a condiment. french mustard. it’s just the frickin best. its taken ketchup’s place at the top of my list and i am enjoying grossing everyone out by putting it nearly everything.

realisation of the month

this is where i try to sound all deep and intelligent.

this month i have really realised that people are bloody shit, but that they are also bloody brilliant. you can’t make people understand you because not everyone wants to or can be bothered to. and that’s ok. the ones that are worth it will stick around and try to understand, the ones that are worth it will make the effort. the rest of them can go fuck ’emselves.

my other realisation of the month is that i swear too much. starting tomorrow i’m going to try to change that. maybe.

january.

i spent a lot of my time at work, i worried about what my new boss thought of me and tried to build a good relationship with him. i let go a bit at work, i tried to remember that i can only do so much, that my team can only do so much. i tried to remember to say ‘thank you’ more. i tried to remember that you only get back as much as you put in. i gave my time and energy (and days off) to people and colleagues that i know appreciate it and deserve my time. i stayed away from those that do not. i said no more. that word is revolutionary, i tell ya! i smiled. i cried. i laid foundations for moments to come. i sung. i danced. i had busy but good month. i tried.

Where I am: sitting in Starbucks, Pumpkin Spice latte in a mug next to me (I’m so basic sometimes, it hurts)

Listening to: Mariah Carey (it’s really hard to not start singing at the top of my voice)

so, update time – after my post about World Mental Health Day i received a lot of messages of support from friends both near and far and so i’d just like to say thank you for that, i really appreciate that you all took the time out of your lives to reach out. thank you to those of you that shared your stories with me, it really is overwhelming just how many of us are touched by mental illness.

i have started therapy now – it’s weird but i’m hopeful it will be have a positive impact on me. i try really hard to not let it dictate my life.

i had a number of people message me to say that they would never had imagined i suffered, that had i not posted about it then and previously, i would be the last person they would have thought had depression and anxiety.

off the back of that, because we all know how egocentric i am, here are 28 other things you may not know about me…

i will always be jealous of everyone that can play (competently play) the piano and violin. growing up my parents couldn’t afford for me to have lessons so it is something that i never learnt but always wanted to.

my favourite seasons are spring and autumn. they are both transitional seasons and they feel just like starting over to me. spring is full of hope – everything is new. autumn clears my mind, when the leaves fall and so do the cobwebs in my head.

i’m much more a ‘bunch of wildflowers’ girl than a ‘bunch of roses’ girl

the best sounds in the world are my nephews laughs (all three of them) the sound of the waves crashing is a close second though.

i am a bit of a tea snob – i take mine milk, no sugar. Preferably it will be a Barry’s tea bag or a Yorkshire. To end the debate once and for all – THE MILK GOES IN LAST.

i do not like wine. Or champagne. i really wish i did. It looks so sophisticated, but it all tastes like vinegar to me. i do however enjoy a nice glass of Bucks Fizz and can stomach a glass of Prosecco but that’s as sophisticated as i get.

if i were to ever design my own home and you told me i could have either a really big closet or a really big library i would choose a library every time.

i really do want world peace

the most perfect place i have ever been is the Island of Capri at sunset

i really want to live by the seaside

my friend Steph once bought me a notebook with a map of the world as a cover – she brought it for me to document my travels in. now, whenever i visit somewhere that requires me to board an aeroplane i always pick up a postcard from the destination and stick it in that book.

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most girls i know have thought in great detail about their wedding and what they want it to be like. i have not. i have, however, thought a lot about what i’d like my funeral to be like (morbid, i know)

although i was christened COE when i was a bubba and i’m not overly religious now, i do still believe in God. i’m not sure in which sense – i don’t believe it’s a big dude sitting on a cloud, but i do believe in some kind of higher being. i also believe that Karma is a very real force in this world.

If i could have anyone narrate my life i think i would choose either David Attenborough or the guy that narrates Come Dine with Me because he is a sarcastic ray of sunshine.

i am obsessed with Crime documentaries and stories (i’m not sure what that says about me,really)

yes it’s true, i was on the telly not once, but twice. autographs are 50p. per letter.

i am a musical freak. my favourite is West Side Story.

if i watch friends with you i will most likely quote at least 50% of the dialogue at you. if you’re really lucky it may be more.

unless it is work, a medical appointment or something like a wedding or funeral I will be at least 10 minutes late. at this point i’ve realised it’s just who i am as a person.

my friends know.

i love Cliff Richard!! – i grew up watching Summer Holiday and The Young Ones (see no.17 musical freak) and i think this is why i love him.

most people are scared of clowns, rodents, snakes, spiders… not me. i’m scared of Octopus and Squid. i’m shivering just thinking about them now. Eurgh.

i will put ketchup with pretty much anything. there isn’t many dishes that a squirt of Heinz can’t make better.

want to know if you matter to me? find out if i have a song/songs attached to you. music is in my heart and if you are too, there will be a song for you.

my favourite handbag designer is Kate Spade. And, unpopular opinion time, i do not like Michael Kors. at all.

i really love Caroline Flack. i want her to be my friend. the same goes for Dawn O’Porter

i have a bit of a crush on Gary Oldman. especially as Sirius Black

my favourite accent in the world is the Irish (Northern > Southern, soz guys)

one of my earliest memories from when i was very young is someone walked past me in the town, burning my left hand with their cigarette. that’s how i learnt my left and right.

when i have trouble sleeping i always seem to do one of three things; listen to music, watch friends or write. tonight i am combining two of those. music and writing.

i am currently listening to a mix of The Beatles and John Lennon’s solo work – in case you didn’t know today would have been John’s 77th birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN.

for those of you that know me, you’ll know The Beatles are my favourite band, John is was my favourite member. to this day he is my favourite musician/artist/lyricist in the history of the world. to some it is an obvious choice, to others a cliché. to me it is the only choice. laugh if you will. i don’t care.

the best compliment i ever received (or one of them) was from my mum. having read a John biography she concluded that john and i were very similar in personality. she has since repeated that to me, and it still makes me happy to hear.

my love affair with The Beatles began when i was around 10 years old. my mum, a lifelong Beatles fan, insisted on watching a movie called ‘Help’ on the telly one Sunday afternoon. i can’t remember my response to being told this is what we were watching but i remember my reaction when it finished. i was intrigued. this was before the age of smart phones and wi-fi so i couldn’t just hop online and listen to their back catalogue and find out about the band, i remember asking my mum about them, i’d heard their songs my whole life but never really paid that much attention to them, until now. i remember my singing along to their songs in assembly (Nowhere man was a fave of our music teacher, so was Ob-la-di Ob-la-da) with way more enthusiasm.

the older i got the more my taste in music (and men) varied but i always came back to John and The Beatles.

my 21st birthday was not spent in some generic nightclub getting wasted, (not that there is anything wrong with that), it was spent wandering the streets of Liverpool, stomping the same pavements that John once had. we visited the Cavern, we strolled around the Albert Dock, we visited Penny Lane, saw the house George was born in, the registry office that John and Cynthia got married in. i remember being on a tour (so wonderfully titled “magical mystery tour”) and the tour guide/host was firing questions at everyone. who got most of them correct? who was the youngest fan on the bus? me and ME. the tour guide actually turned to me at one point and said “it should really be you stood here doing this job” day=made.

i couldn’t pin point what it is exactly about John and his music that i love. it’s really a load of little things. there was an honesty to his music that i adore, a vulnerability. he was, in my opinion, very comical but also had a depth to him that was evident in his music and his mind. i admire how he handled his unconventional upbringing, and the tragedy that came to him early in life. he wanted to bring people together. he was wise – i mean, sure, we can’t assume that all these quotes attributed to him are ALL really his, but there’s no smoke without fire, right?

his mind

Some of my favourite John thoughts –

“The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that’s making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it”

“We all have Hitler in us, but we also have love and peace. So why not give peace a chance for once?”

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant…. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.”

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong”

“I’m not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I’ve always been a freak. So I’ve been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I’m one of those people”

i could go on but i won’t. you can read more of his musings on brainy quote or a similar website.

his music

some of my best, and worst, moments are tied to his music. my 25th birthday, driving along the Almalfi Coast in the beautiful Italian sunshine our driver had John’s “(Just like) Starting Over playing. whilst it’s widely accepted that ‘Crippled Inside’ is about everybody’s hypocrisy, for me i use it to laugh at myself when my mental demons are loud and winning, much like they are now; but that’s another post for another day. there are also songs that i hope to attach to memories in the future – one day i hope to have ‘In My Life’ played at my wedding, i hope to sing ‘Beautiful Boy’ to my son.

it is also the birthday of the person John wrote that song about – his son Sean (who is a TREAT for the eyes).

Happy Birthday, Sean.

Happy Birthday, John.

and thank you.

xoxo

micks

#tb to when I went to NYC with a blanket around my neck and my favourite place in the city was empty except for me, my mum and a busker singing my favourite John songs.

I just wanted to start this by saying a big thank you. After my last post I received an influx of messages from various people telling me I was definitely ‘enough’ already. I know I can be my own worst enemy, I’m learning new things about myself everyday and I am learning to be OK with who I am – it’s something we work on everyday.

Also thank you to Megan – I’m so glad you understood what I meant, you made me feel less crazy about it!

I honestly didn’t expect the reaction I got, I was just simply sharing my thoughts as I always do.

Today is a new day. Today I am ok. Today I am ok with who I am.

Someone recently told me they think I am ‘authentic’ – for me that is a huge compliment; I strive to be a lot of things and authentic is one of them.

I am me. I am not perfect. I have my chaos. I am emotional. I cry over stupid things. I get angry. I withdraw into myself. I doubt myself. I love people but hate them as well. I love to laugh. If you’re important to me I will tell you. I can be moody. I sometimes need a hug or a pat on the head. I am loyal – probably blindly. I am an all -or – nothing type girl. I need looking after. I will never forget how you made me feel. I will always listen and try and help where I can. Music is my therapy. I am sarcastic. I am scatty. I love learning about people. I need reassurance from time to time. I can be insecure. I am sunshine and showers. I am a million and one different things; I can only hope to be good enough for you.

I hope you’re all well. I’ve had a lovely weekend of work and general social merriment. I’ve even found time to start reading a new book after not having read anything since April (we can safely say that my aim of reading 2 books a month went out the window, ay) This book though, I’m in it hook, line and sinker. It’s called ‘I am missing’ by Tim Weaver about a guy that wakes up on a beach with no memory trying to find out who he is. I’m intrigued.

I always have and always will believe music is one of the few things that can bring people together. I have so many memories tied to songs; both good and bad memories. They are both as important as each other.

There are also songs that remind me of certain people – the other day in the car I was listening to Magic (my absolute fave station, no shame) and no less than four songs came on in a row that reminded of my best friend, Rachel.

Hold on by Wilson Phillips – it’s ‘our’ song

Despacito – Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee – anything Spanish we tie to each other as we became pals when we lived in Valencia

I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas – it was the soundtrack to so many nights out in Valencia.

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman – one of Rachel’s favourite songs (if not her favourite) so it always makes me think of her when I see her.

N.B when I say the other day I can mean anything from 6 months ago until yesterday

Then because I’m self-centred I wanted to know what songs remind other people of me so I asked.

Here’s what they said…

Sophie

Mulan – Reflection, because I think you’re still trying to find yourself

Frozen – Let it Go, because we ran around Paris singing this (much to Leanne’s embarrassment)

I’ll make a man out of you from Mulan reminds me of Sophia because we both love it. As soon as one of us says ‘Let’s get down to business’ that’s it, get ready for the show.

Leanne

Brown Sugar – The Rolling Stones; “I don’t know why, just ‘cause”

(I have no idea how Leanne’s brain works as we have never listened to this song together)

Anything Ed Sheeran because he is Leanna’s favourite. Also, Elvis ‘Can’t help falling love’ reminds me of Sophia and Leanna because it is ‘their’ song and it’s so cute!

Rachel

Hold on – Wilson Phillips “because it’s our song”

I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas “because Valencia”

Anything by Jason Derulo “because you used to be obsessed with him” (It’s true, sorrynotsorry)

Carlos Baute – Te Regalo – this song is sooooo cheesy but we both love it

Aside from the ones I mentioned earlier, anything UB40. They’re her fave.

Diane

Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Ray “You were sad for such a long time and it makes me smile to think how far you’ve come”

How nice is that? Thanks, Dalbs. Mine for Diane are Amy Winehouse – Rehab and Rick Astley ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ , we spent sooooo many afternoons sorting the delivery out dancing and singing to these songs. Oh and Sugababes ‘About You Now’ that was another one we danced to.

Amy

I see the light – Tangled “your fave”

Do it like a dude – Jessie J “you put it on a CD for me when we were on placement together and sang it allll the time in the car”

I was made for loving you – Tori Kelly and Ed Sheeran “you suggested it to me for our wedding and it made it on our wedding playlist”

Girls by Marina and the Diamonds because Ams said it was written about me and I’ve always remembered that, Ho Hey by the Lumineers because it was another song at her wedding and also 5,6,7,8 by Steps because she loves a line dance…

Charlie

Paolo Nutini – Candy “I don’t know why, it just does”

Anything by Taylor Swift “because of our epic singalongs in the car”

Taylor Swift, for exactly the same reason plus ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac (such a tune)

Let her go – Passenger / Best Song Ever – One Direction “because you listened to Passenger loads on the road trip and drove me mad with the One Direction one on the trip too.

It’s not my fault, Harry Styles is my one true love he just doesn’t know it yet. The song that always reminds me of Jade is Ryan Bingham ‘The Weary Kind’, I remember we were front row for one of his shows in Kings Cross and we both cried at this song and he cried too!

I know for sure I asked other people but in a move that is completely out of character I cannot find where I wrote them down and I have a habit of clearing all my chats so I can’t even go back and check. My bad.

I hope this finds you all well. It is 11:26 on a Saturday morning, I have worked 750 hours this week, stood sodden in a field (ok well, Kew Gardens) whilst finally seeing one of my favourite singers live during the biggest downpour of the week – I think I’m still damp. I now have a weekend off – Halle-bloody-lujah!

This weeks post – as given away by the title – is my desert island discs. Some of you will be familiar with the BBC4 radio show, others the podcast version. I do not listen to Radio 4 (shocking, I know) but I have recently discovered the podcast and it may be my new favourite thing; as I write this I am listening to Russell Brand’s episode.

For those that don’t know the format here’s what it looks like. Each show there is a new castaway, they choose 8 discs they can take with them to a desert island. They then get to chose one over all others that they would save. It then got me to thinking about what my desert island discs would be – it was really effin hard to choose and ask me next week and I may have changed my mind BUT for now here are mine.

Paolo Nutini –Candy

I have long been a fan of Paolo. I remember seeing him in a small venue in Camden back in, maybe, 2009 and I was blown away by two things; the voice and the sweat- I have never seen someone sweat that much!

There are so many memories attached to this song and it reminds me of a time when I was truly happy – I didn’t really realise just how happy I was until I wasn’t anymore but this song always makes me smile and takes me back, at least in my head, to that time.

Dizzee Rascal – Fix Up, Look Sharp

What a bad boy tune. This reminds me of being a teenager at school and whilst I wasn’t particularly enamored with school and I don’t have massively fond memories of that time I have always loved this song and I was at school the first time I heard it. Now it’s my go to song when I need to get motivated, as soon as I hear that first ‘Oiiiiii’ I just smile and think YES SON.

Andrea Bocelli – Con Te Partiro

Switching it up a tad from grime to classical… this song is just magic. Andrea’s voice is outstanding. It has such a calming effect on me and I cant help but just close my eyes and appreciate it when I hear it. Big up my dad for bringing Andrea into my life.

Passenger – Holes

If you have me on social media you’ll know I saw him live for the first time this week. I was soaked to the bone but standing in the middle of Kew Gardens in my own little Passenger filled bubble was the happiest I’ve been in a long while. Holes is my favourite song of his and so you can imagine my delight when he closed the show with this.

For me, this song is all about human resilience. It reminds me that we all have our shit but you gotta just pick yourself up and carry on. It’s a good reminder to not wallow in self pity. “We’ve got holes in heart, yeah we’ve got holes in our lives. Where we’ve got holes, we’ve got holes but we carry on”

Christina Perri – I believe

For someone who seems to constantly question herself and is always a bit confused by life this is a brilliant, almost theme tune. The lyrics are what speak to me more than anything and it’s my go –to song whenever I’ve felt a bit lost or been lost in the haze of mental illness. Those of you that suffer with Mental Health problems know it can totally strip you of your identity and this song always kind of brings me back and reminds me it’s a phase and to just breathe.

Perfume Genius – Can’t Help Falling in Love

Everyone knows this song but not everyone knows this version. One of my favourite things is when people send me new music to listen to and my favourite sarcastic ray of sunshine sent me this a year or so ago. It’s now one of my most played songs. I adore it.

Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness

My theme tune. That’s all you need to know.

John Lennon – Just Like Starting Over

Surprised? Of course John made the list, it would be wrong to go to a desert island without him. I struggled to pick a song because I actually have a few of his that I would love to take but this one tops the list.

The song I would save above all others is Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness.

Kirsty Young (who hosts) also gives all castaways the Bible, the complete work of Shakespeare and one other book of their choice so my book will be a ‘How to play piano’ book. I am always annoyed that I never bothered to pick up and learn how to play.

I did consider Harry Potter but I don’t think a series of books is allowed and I would just become frustrated with the fact I couldn’t finish the series.

My Luxury Item would be a piano to go with my book– how cool would it be to go to a desert island for a while and then come back with a new talent?

I’ve had a cray cray few weeks and have found myself faaaar behind in not only writing but also a lot of the other goals I have set for myself this year. This blog is nothing too heavy – there is only so much pain my heart can take and this past while there has been a lot. For that reason this post is nice and lighthearted – however, as any Disney fan will appreciate, it has also caused me a lot of trauma. Yes, y’all. I’ve done the impossible. I listed my top ten Disney movies.

It was traumatic to say the least. My top 3 were easy, but it’s the rest. I never thought it could be done, but here we are. Impossible is nothing.

Here we go… At number 10 we have….

Brother Bear

I remember first watching this when I was about 15. I laughed – those moose’s crack me up every time. I cried. It is the story of Kenai, a young Indian boy who is turned into a bear and learns some valuable life lessons.

I sang (Phil Collins, I thank you for a banging soundtrack) I’ve also been told I look like Koda more than once, I’m good with that because he cute af.

Tarzan

Another Phil Collins soundtrack, PRAISE BE TO JESUS. He’s up there with Alan Menken for me.

Tarzan, we all know the story – “Me Tarzan, You Jane” What a guy.

Moana

The most recent release on this list, I adore this movie. Lin Manuel-Miranda delivered one of the BEST soundtracks to date and I have been known to burst into a song (or 6) from this movie in the middle of the pub. Everyone sing with me “I WAS A DRAB LITTLE CRAB ONCE”.

Moana is our heroine who saves her people by travelling across the ocean, to restore the heart to Te Fiti with the help of a few friends. Also, I really want a pet pig like Moana.

Lilo and Stitch

C’maaaaannnn. This had to be on my list. Lilo is a bit of an oddball – which I’m sure we can all relate to. She wants a friend so her sister lets her adopt a ‘dog’ whom she calls Stitch. Little does she know that he’s actually the galaxy’s most wanted extraterrestrial. Stitch has issues and doesn’t really like people (I can relate on SO many levels) but Lilo is determined to tame him.

This is the movie that showed there are good guys out there (David) and taught that “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten”

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Oh and Elvis Presley is on the soundtrack. I’m sold.

Pocahontas

What I wouldn’t give to have my very own Grandmother Willow. From the age of about 10 I wanted to be Pocahontas. I remember going to see it at the cinema – it was my first memory of seeing a movie in the cinema. I loved it. What a girl. Pocahontas was beautiful inside and out. Her best friend was a raccoon and her life coach was a tree. Colours of the Wind is one of my favourite Disney songs ever, it’s message is powerful and still resonates all these years later.

Cinderella

My favourite Disney movie when I was small. This always reminds me of being off school and poorly because that was when I would get to watch it the most. I wanted my own posse of mice friends, a dog called Bruno and the fairy godmother. I’m good without the dead dad and evil step family though.

Mulan

Mulan. I only watched this for the first time in the last few years but it has quickly become one of my favourites. SHE IS BADASS. What other girl can save the whole of China? Sure she had help, but it was her plan. I think this may have been the first Disney movie that showed us that you didn’t have to be the ‘pretty’ girl to succeed. Your brain is worth just as much as a pretty face, if not more.

Additionally, Eddie Murphy’s Mushu is a brilliant side kick for Mulan and is def in my top 5 sidekicks.

Aladdin

Alan Menken soundtrack.

Robin Williams voiced sidekick (the Genie is the number one sidekick, ever.)

His best pal is a monkey.

WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE.

Tangled

My favourite Disney princess; Rapunzel. I mean. Hashtag hair goals. She looks at the world with wide naïve eyes and I love it. She has the knack of seeing the best in everyone and making friends with everyone – be it the grumpy palace horse, a pub full of villains or our male lead Mr Flynn Ryder. Another great soundtrack. The scene on the lake gave me my dream proposal even though I’m sure I never want to actually get married. Dreamy.

PETER PAN

No surprises here. I am called the female Peter Pan at least once a month. I love him, even though that may sound a bit weird. Neverland is my dream home.

“To live would be an awfully big adventure”.

Wouldn’t it just.

So there you have it… any surprises? I actually surprised myself when writing this. There are so many movies that nearly made the list but I stand proud of my top ten. Ask me next week though and numbers 5-10 may have changed. I’ve always been a fickle creature.

What is in your top ten? Tell me do, I could talk about Disney all day, everyday!